1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a plug-in connector and more particularly to a plug-in connector of the so-called trapezoidal type. The invention further relates to a contact element, and more particularly to a contact element usable in a plug-in connector, particularly of trapezoidal type.
2. Description of the Prior Art
German application No. 26 26 631 shows a plug-in connector and also a contact element therefor wherein a middle part is provided which is bendable in various ways in order to allow compensating for pitch differences, i.e. to allow mutual adaptation of the spacings of the terminal parts and the connecting parts. In this known contact element, the middle parts are bendable at the places where they are joined to the end parts. Bending is carried out in various ways substantially in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the connector, and when fitted in the connector the ends of the connecting parts take up position at various levels. Moreover, it is a disadvantage in this known construction that the connector must be of considerable overall height (in the insertion direction).
It is already known from German Utility Model 81 07 135.3 to construct contact elements in the manner of crank arms, i.e. connecting portions which project outwards from contact parts in the direction towards the connector side wall, and then fork contacts project upwards from the connecting portions. In this way, compensation of pitch is made possible, but one result is that the connector is given a considerable width, since the use of the connecting portions requires the fork contacts to come to be situated near the side walls. A further disadvantage is that the fork contacts are situated not on a straight line but instead on a curved line, which involves difficulties as regards the attaching of the contacts to the punching strip at that region.
It would be desirable to provide a plug-in connector which alleviated the above problems, in particular in connectors of the trapezoidal type that be attached to flat cables by the insulation displacement technique.